“”Why you gotta sleep with my dad?”” shouts Pepper’s Bret Bollinger at the climax of the band’s hit single “”Give it Up”” (commonly known as the dirty, hot sex song). The Hawaii-based trio gained notoriety in 2005 after their single pushed them past the labia of obscurity into the public spotlight.
Following the band’s fourth studio album No Shame, they’re set to push a compilation of unreleased b-sides and live performances titled To Da Max this month. The disc hits shelves on the 20th, but there’s no need to trek to the store because you can just pick it up at their show that happens to be downtown at the Rialto on the same night.
Pepper’s style is a straightforward reggae-rock sound like Sublime. However, you’re not sick of their songs yet because, unlike with Sublime, your stoner roommate hasn’t been listening to Pepper’s album on repeat since 2003.
The most unique part of Pepper’s music can be found in their Hawaiian roots. “”It’s probably the biggest influence on us, being from Hawaii,”” said drummer Yesod Williams. “”It’s made our attitude a lot different with the small reggae music and radio scenes.””
Pepper’s sound has evolved since their 2002 debut Kona Town and their relocation to the mainland. “”(It’s a) natural progression – just thought out better song writing,”” Williams said.
The idea for the compilation came from their label, the self-proclaimed “”youth against establishment”” Volcom Entertainment. The band faced the tough task of sifting through more than 400 recordings and narrowing it down to the 20 featured on the record.
Live shows, however, are the band’s forte. Their concerts helped originally establish them and are a main part of their motivational drive.
“”Hell yeah, live shows are like the heartbeat of the band,”” Williams said. “”It keeps us going. We’re not counting on the radio to help us. We’ve got to stay in the trenches to get our music out there.””
Pepper’s favorite tours have been with the band Slightly Stoopid and although they won’t be along this time, Williams is still excited about the accompanying lineup. “”We’ve got our friends the Mad Caddies coming along as our main support and Supervillains (and) Splinta. It should be fun,”” he said.
Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and Pepper is the last act of the night to tear up the stage.